Neil Mitchell responds to ‘damning’ Pell findings in Royal Commission that have now been made public

Neil Mitchell has condemned George Pell and the Catholic church after damning findings of the child abuse royal commission were made public.

Some of those findings had previously been redacted because Pell was facing his child abuse charges.

Cardinal Pell was convicted of child abuse in 2018, but last month was released from jail after Australia’s top court overturned his conviction.

But the commission found Pell was “conscious of child sexual abuse by clergy” as early as 1973 and likely played a role in moving Australia’s worst paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale between parishes.

Pell has responded in a statement, saying the findings are not supported by evidence.

But the commission found aspects of Pell’s evidence “implausible” in its findings.

“What happened here was one of the most disgusting, disgraceful, immoral examples of cover-up and self-protection we’ve ever seen from an organisation,” Neil said.

“And this is an organisation that supposedly cares for people, supposedly cares about morality.

“It’s not just George Pell in disgrace here.

“It is the Catholic church, as well.”

Neil Mitchell said Pell should lose his AC award and retire from his role with the church.

While many would find the latest revelations shocking, lawyers representing survivors of church abuse said it should not come as a surprise.

“None of it’s a surprise, at all, to the survivor community or the people involved in representing them,” Michael Magazanik said.

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